Search Committee Organized to Hire New District Manager for Flatbush, Midwood and Kensington

BROOKLYN, NY – After 34 years of distinguished service to the communities of Flatbush, Midwood and Kensington, Brooklyn Community Board 14 District Manager Doris Ortíz announced to the Board’s Executive Committee on Wednesday evening that she will be retiring effective July 1, 2011.

“Doris is the best kind of District Manager you could hope to find,” said Alvin M. Berk, Chair of Community Board 14. “She has been a source of strength for CB14 for over three decades, and she has shown over the past four years that she takes second place to no other District Manager. We are sorry to lose Doris, but we are happy that she is excited about her retirement.”

In light of Ortíz’s announcement, the Executive Committee authorized the formation of a Search Committee to recruit, interview and make a formal recommendation to the Board on the hiring of a new District Manager in an open, inclusive and transparent process.

Asked whether he expects anything to change upon Ortíz’s retirement, Berk commented, “We expect a lot of things to change. Hopefully, our new District Manager will bring new and different ideas to the table. Nevertheless, we will make sure that Brooklyn Community Board 14 continues to meet the needs of the Flatbush, Midwood and Kensington communities as always.”

“Community boards are truly the heart and soul of municipal government in Brooklyn and New York City—the entry point for New Yorkers who love their neighborhoods and wish to be involved in the planning and development process,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “and no one exemplified that better than Doris Ortíz, who devoted more than three decades of service to Flatbush, Midwood and Kensington, including the last four as district manager of CB14. Among her many accomplishments: ensuring the MTA’s Brighton Line rehabilitation project had minimal impact on the community; working to establish Cortelyou Road and Flatbush-Nostrand Junction as retail destination hotspots; and helping teens find jobs by establishing youth conferences at Brooklyn College. I wish Doris well as she begins the best years of her life in retirement, and my office is available to assist CB14 as it searches for her successor, who will undoubtedly have some mighty big shoes to fill.”

For her part, Ortiz offered, “I look forward to taking many fond memories with me into my retirement and I wish you all a life blessed with happiness, prosperity, and good health. I will always be thankful for being able to work with so many wonderful people for so many years.”

The Board is expected to ratify the Executive Committee’s actions at its regular meeting on May 9th at 7:30 PM, held in Edward R. Murrow High School.

For anyone interested in applying for the position of District Manager, the Board is now accepting cover letters and résumés addressed to Alvin M. Berk, Chairman, Brooklyn Community Board 14, 810 East 16th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11230. All submissions must be mailed or delivered to the Board office by the close of business on or before May 31, 2011.